'PARTNERSHIP' was the buzz word at this week's Newport City Summit.

And that was good to hear – because successful partnership between the public and private sectors is the only way in which the city's economy will grow over the next decade.


The third annual summit took place at the Riverfront Theatre and attracted leading names from Newport businesses, both large and small, as well as key players from the public and charity sectors, and attendees from further afield.


All have important roles to play in the coming years.


The summit's venue was the perfect place for those unfamiliar with Newport's regeneration to see not only Friars Walk but also the near-completion of the transformation of the city's riverfront.


If there was any disappointment, it was in the relatively small number of independent businesses that attended and the lack of any representation from the city's Rodney Parade-based professional sporting clubs.


I raised a question during the summit about the importance of sport, leisure, arts and culture to Newport's story of regeneration.


I did so partly to raise awareness of Newport Live, the not-for-profit-distribution charitable trust that now runs and manages the leisure and arts facilities previously run by the city council, and of which I am a director and trustee.


The trust is almost a year into its operations, running the Riverfront Theatre, the Newport Centre, the Newport International Sports Village (including the velodrome, the swimming pool and tennis centre, and Newport Stadium), and the Active Living Centre at Bettws.


Much has been done during that year, not least in transferring staff from the council to the trust, but there is much to do to raise awareness of the fact these venues and facilities are no longer run by the council.


I am passionate about the importance of sport, leisure, arts and culture to Newport's regeneration.


Any city worth its salt makes a success of these sectors. They are economic drivers in themselves, but they also play a vital role in a social sense through the promotion of health and wellbeing.


In particular, they can engage young people and the success of schemes like Positive Futures in some of Newport's most deprived areas is testament to that.


The importance of partnership working for Newport's future was highlighted at the summit by the housing regeneration work being undertaken at a variety of sites, including the city centre, by the Seren Group; and also by the exciting work being done by the National Software Academy set up in Devon Place by Cardiff University, the Alacrity Foundation and the Welsh Government.


The former is helping to bring more people into the city centre to live, as are a number of private developers. The more people who live, work and shop in the city centre, the more vibrant the area will become.


The latter is the first fruit of the Re:Newport city centre regeneration taskforce's report to the Welsh Government and will help to further raise Newport's profile as a digital centre of excellence.


A huge amount of work has taken place in Newport in recent years and that momentum must continue.


The public, private and third sectors cannot do that in isolation.


But together, and with a shared vision, they have the ability to deliver a bright future for the city.